The Biggest Resume Mistakes Companies Still Make (and How to Fix Them in 2025)

Resumes are often seen as a candidate’s responsibility. But in reality, companies make just as many mistakes when it comes to handling, formatting, and sharing resumes. These errors waste time, frustrate applicants, and even cause businesses to miss out on top talent.

Here are the biggest resume mistakes companies still make in 2025 — and what to do instead.

1. Still Sending Non-ATS-Friendly Resumes

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are the backbone of modern recruiting. Yet many companies still send resumes in formats that ATS software can’t read. Fancy PDFs with images, logos, or text boxes often break parsing, meaning great candidates get rejected for the wrong reasons.

Fix: Export resumes in clean DOCX or PDF formats that are ATS-compliant. Tools like Resumaro Smart Targeting ensure every export is recruiter-ready.

2. Forgetting Resume Branding

Companies spend millions on employer branding campaigns, yet still send generic, outdated resumes that don’t reflect their brand. This inconsistency makes hiring teams look unprofessional to candidates and clients alike.

Fix: Branded resume templates keep documents polished and consistent. Resumaro allows companies to upload custom templates that align with their employer brand.

3. Listing Tasks Instead of Achievements

Many resumes read like job descriptions, full of tasks but empty of measurable results. This makes it harder for recruiters to see which candidates truly delivered value.

Fix: Train candidates (and teams) to focus on achievements with data: “Increased revenue by 20%” instead of “Responsible for sales.” AI-assisted tools can instantly rewrite bullet points to highlight measurable impact.

4. Not Supporting Global & Multilingual Hiring

Remote and cross-border hiring is now standard, but many companies still only work with English resumes. This limits candidate pools and creates unnecessary bottlenecks for international teams.

Fix: Offer resumes in multiple languages (e.g., Dutch, German, English). Resumaro supports multi-language exports so recruiters can review documents in their preferred language.

5. Wasting Time on Manual Formatting

HR teams often spend hours formatting resumes for consistency — fixing fonts, margins, and sections. This repetitive work adds no value and slows down the hiring process.

Fix: Use resume automation to export documents in seconds, ensuring every file is consistent and professional. With tools like Resumaro, recruiters can spend time evaluating candidates, not fixing Word docs. Clients trust what they can compare. A resume builder for companies standardizes layout, tone, and proof so every submission feels premium.

Final Thoughts

The truth is clear: resume mistakes don’t just come from job seekers. Companies also make costly errors when handling resumes. From ignoring ATS rules to overlooking branding, these slip-ups can hurt your hiring success.

The good news? They’re easy to fix. With ATS-friendly formats, branded templates, measurable achievements, global readiness, and automation, companies can streamline hiring and impress candidates.

Curious what to automate vs. keep human? This deep dive into ai and recruiting explains where AI helps with reviews and where human judgment still wins.